Below, you can find course descriptions and sample syllabi for my courses. If you are interested in learning more about any of the assignments included in the syllabi, please email me at trobins3@uccs.edu. I am happy to share and exchange ideas and teaching methods.

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ANTH 1030: Introduction to Biological Anthropology - This course explores the broad and integrative field of Biological Anthropology, with emphasis on Human Origins. The term is divided into four sections. Section 1 – Introduction to Evolutionary Biology: The first section of this course will provide an overview of the historical, theoretical, and empirical background of evolutionary biology. Section 2 – Primatology: The second section of this course will examine the basics of vertebrate, mammalian, and primate biology, with emphasis on how humans differ from our closest living relatives, the great apes. We will also discuss geological time, understanding how organisms become fossilized and how rocks and fossils provide important information regarding the time frame of human evolution. Section 3 – Paleoanthropology: In the third section, we will discuss what it means to be a hominin. We will look closely at the species rich human evolutionary tree. Section 4 – Modern Humans: In the final section, we will look at our own species, anatomically modern humans. We will discuss modern human variation, first through the lens of the historical emphasis on classification, and then as an example of how the environment and forces of evolution have shaped our species. (Sample Syllabus)

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ANTH 3350: Forensic Anthropology - This course teaches the basic analysis of human remains for the medico-legal profession, and will cover the history of the discipline and its methods. You will learn to identify the bones of the human skeleton, determine time since death, evaluate trauma, and identify individuals. This course will also explore the role of the forensic anthropologist in crime scene investigation and mass disaster recovery, looking at case studies from various situations. (Sample Syllabus) 

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ANTH 3360: Methods in Biological Anthropology - Biological anthropology is a multidisciplinary field with foci including evolutionary biology and psychology, human evolutionary history, primatology, public health, forensic identification, and more. This course focuses on methods commonly used in the field of biological anthropology, exploring what it means to be human from the perspectives of our evolutionary history and our individual life histories. Students will explore the mechanisms of natural selection and evolution, genetics, modern human biology and variation, non-human primates, and the hominins. (Sample Syllabus)

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​​ANTH 3370: Human Biology and Ecology - Human biology and ecology explores human variation and adaptations within specific environmental and evolutionary contexts. We will explore interactions between cultural and biological factors in human anatomy and physiology, reproduction, and health. This course covers three main topics and is divided accordingly: 1) Describing human biology and variation. 2) Understanding contemporary human biological variation. 3) Contemplating the role of human biological variation in health and disease. (Sample Syllabus)

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ANTH 3375: Humans on the Edge - Homo sapiens are an incredibly successful species, occupying almost every ecological niche the earth has to offer (and beyond). “Humans on the Edge” explores the biological, physiological, behavioral, and cultural resilience of the human species by looking at the ways that humans have adapted to survive and even thrive in environments where few other animals can survive. We explore human adaptations to extreme cold and heat, high altitude, and heavy disease burdens, among others. We also look at other extreme pressures that humans often face, including physically demanding careers and activities, elevated psychosocial stress and isolation, dietary and physical activity changes, and powerful weather events. You will leave this course with a deeper understanding for and appreciation of the plasticity and adaptability of the human species. (Sample Syllabus)

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ANTH 3390: Bioarchaeology - Bioarchaeology focuses on the study of human remains from archaeological sites, both ancient and historic. In this class, we will learn the bones of the human skeleton, look at how health and behavior can be interpreted from human skeletal remains and explore case studies from archaeological sites all over the world. We will also discuss multiple cultural interpretations of how human remains from archaeological sites should be handled and ethical implications. By the end of this course, you should be able to: 1) identify bones/skeletal features of the human skeleton; 2) discuss human skeletal remains within the archaeological context; 3) observe and describe markers of disease, nutrition deficiency, growth/aging, and physical activity, among other processes. (Sample Syllabus)

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ANTH 4330: Parasites in Human Evolution - What do sexual reproduction, evolutionary hair loss, immune system development, and human health all have in common? One word: PARASITES. Throughout our evolutionary history, humans have been in constant contact with the bacteria, worms, and insects that call us home and use us for food. How did this relationship evolve? Why do some parasites cause serious illness while others go virtually unnoticed? And can we truly be healthy without them? All of these questions and more will be answered as we explore how parasites have altered human evolution and health. (Sample Syllabus)

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ANTH 4980 (Senior Seminar): Critical Race Theory in Anthropology - What is critical race theory, and why is it relevant to anthropology? How has anthropology historically both contributed to and contested racialized and other inequalities, both worldwide and in the US? What is race? In this senior seminar, we will address these questions through multiple subfields of anthropology (biological, cultural, archaeological, medical, bioarchaeological, biocultural, political/legal, visual, public/applied) and related fields. We will look at human variation and what it tells us about race, at how racialized categories are constructed and perceived, and at what the consequences are for human individuals and societies. By analyzing several examples of case studies, media, and public discourse, we will consider the effectiveness of existing tactics intended to challenge the negative effects of racialization, and end by asking what anthropology can contribute to this process. (Sample Syllabus)

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ANTH 4980 (Senior Seminar): Anthropology of Climate Change - Natural climate change has played a major role in shaping human evolution and past social systems in numerous ways. Today, we are faced with a new and rapid form of human-induced climate change that threatens to alter our way of life into the future; some are calling it the Anthropocene. This course explores the prehistory/history of climate change, including the cultural shifts that have brought us to this point. It also looks to the present and the future, exploring how climate change is currently affecting and will continue to affect human culture, biology, and health, and will use anthropological perspectives to answer the question, "What can we do about it?" (Sample Syllabus)

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